4058 the historian
by lulangelbid
Summary: philip x oc based on travelers! 3/7/ revisions done to chapters!
1. Chapter 1

i never had a choice of what i wanted to grow up and do. as a baby, the director picked me to become a historian. i am filled with information about everyone and everything. i knew when every was born, and when they died. i knew every major event, every winning lottery number, every race winner. i knew it all.

some days this was a blessing, i could play every single lottery imaginable and become a billionaire. other days this was a curse, i knew when and how everyone around me died. i was scared to make friends, afraid that i'd become too attached. i wasn't allowed to prevent their deaths, regardless of how i felt towards them. it killed me, it genuinely killed me inside.

the closest thing that i had to a friend wasn't really a friend. upon my arrival in the 21st, my host body had been charged with manslaughter. my lawyer, an addict himself, had helped me when i have him the three horses that would win their races the following day. after he helped me get the charges dropped, he continuously used me.

i knew he wasn't truly my friend, but he was the closest that i had-human wise at least. my turtle, poppy, was like my friend too. she never talked back but she always seemed to listen to my problems. she didn't do much, but having her provided me with some sort of joy...

my team was like a family, in some sort of fucked up way. we all cared about each other in different ways. sometimes i felt excluded out this family. i felt i was only good for information, while the others were practical. they had their protocol fives and i had mine.

grant, carly, and marcy had their jobs and families to care for and trevor had school and his own family stuggles. i only had poppy and myself to take care of. my days consisted of reciting the days events to poppy, surfing the traveler network and sleeping. i had my moments where i relapsed and gave into my addiction. marcy desperately tried to wean me off the heroin but as soon as i felt i was okay the urges came back, always stronger than the last...

left with my only thoughts, i thought of going out. there was a potential traveler incoming, around the same area as i had lived in. it would be within the hour, maybe going out would be a good thing?

i pressed my com, "boss incoming traveler at 12:30:54 in the alley was across from me."

grant answered back, "got it. ill be there in a few."

the others muttered similar replies and with that we were set to greet the new traveler. searching back in my memories, i found the host body of the new traveler. the new traveler, celeste devrouw. she was only 18 and her cause of death was a mugging. she would cross through the alley way to reach the other street quicker and the men would have followed her to there. they had been following her halfway since she had left her original destination. i could see it clearly, it felt like i had been watching a movie in a way.

i cleared the memory from my mind, deciding to pass the time i clicked the tv on to the news station. although i knew of everything they would report, the exact sayings and locations and even who would be announcing it all, it was something to pass the time. the team had said over their coms they were about 10 minutes out, all making the necessary arrangements based on protocol five.

on the tv, a woman, gale hanson was reporting about a shift in the stock market. something common, it was always changing, never a real consistency to it. she discussed the aspects of what was happening and why. i glanced at the clock, it read 12:15 meaning only 5 minutes had passed since we all talked.

i continued watching the tv, recalling the words and phrases i had know already. the first of the team that arrived were grant and trevor. they both greeted me and wondered around the garage waiting for marcy and carly to come. they arrived shortly after, marcy drug in her hospital bag which was filled with stuff in case the host body was injured.

"how does she die?" carly asked, always hard and direct with what she says.

"mugging" i replied quickly to her, we had a few minutes yet before the official transfer started.

grant checked his watch, motioning us along towards the alley way to await the arrival of our newest addition. down the street we all saw her coming. dressed in all black, her hair the color of her clothing and her skin the color of honey. she was beautiful honestly. she had a bag slung on her shoulder, a backpack of sorts. a few steps behind her we also saw the men who were going to mug her.

they both were large and muscular in stature, they walked slow and calm as if they weren't about to hurt an innocent girl. when the trio reached the alley way we started to cross. carly and grant led the team, i was simply there to be there...

i skimmed through my brain, 45 seconds till the transfer was to begin.

the men grabbed her from behind and slammed her into the wall with such force i had winced. that's when carly and grant sprung into action, they couldn't help but interfere with their mission. carly grabbed the one man, and grant took the other. they both fought them while marcy tried to rush to celeste but trevor and i had grabbed her before.

"15 seconds, go help them" i had motioned towards grant and carly, who were struggling a little bit themselves. i held marcy back, shaking my head no. she couldn't mess with the transfer, it would result in the death of her if she had.

the 15 seconds seemed like forever, with trevor, grant, and carly nearly knocking the two men out thats when it had begun. celeste clutched her head and screamed. it was enough to bring strangers by if they were near, but it had only been all of us. the two men seemed to be freaked, and knew they were going to lose this battle. they hasitly made it out to the other side of the alley, i assumed carly had pulled something to scare them in such a way. as soon as it begun it ended, the transfer had been successful.

celeste stood a little wobbly on her feet, most likely due to her injuries she had faced before the transfer.

"im traveler 3468 and this is m- our team. welcome to the 21st" grant greeted her as warmly as he had the rest of us.

"i'm traveler 4099" celeste replied to maclaren, looking us all over. she stared at me directly, her brown eyes filled with something i could not describe.

"thats traveler 3569", he motioned towards marcy and than to carly, " traveler 3465."

"i'm traveler 0115 and thats traveler 3326" trevor introduced himself and than me. she nodded processing this information.

" we don't address each other by our numbers here, i'm sure you're aware of that right?" grant asked celeste who nodded.

"i know your host names, i was taught that during the program's 21st training sessions. you're grant, marcy, carly, trevor and philip" she pointed to each one of us while she recited our names.

"you'll be with philip for the time being, he'll catch you up to speed. we have to stick to protocol five but we'll come back to ops later" grant told celeste and turned to leave. while celeste looked confused once again, we led her back to ops or home. to me it was a home, it was the only place i felt like i had truly belonged honestly. to the others, it was a base at their disposal. trevor had spent a few nights on my couch every now and than, other than that it was just me and poppy.

once the group had departed, i led celeste inside...

hope you guys liked it, what can i do better next time? leave comments, critique, anything of the sort. this is another travelers idea i had


	2. Chapter 2

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="939a16f0a63ae3ace99de0b2e547fdb9"the pictures they had shown during training did not do the 21st proper justice. the world here, from the small walk we had to 'ops' was unlike anything we had in the future. everything here is colorful and full of life. where i come from, everything is bleak and gray. the people aren't alive. they are but on the inside their existence is miserable. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b543041f9c65f55abdcda1810c0ed9fa"the garage they called ops was not like my home back in the future. my home was minimal, a bed and couch taking up the 500 feet i had. i had a computer though, similar to the one philip had here, only older and well slower. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="fdd6fac3760326e87d81ac2520492b49"in ops, philip had a massive set up, multiple monitiors and towers filled with everything one would need. they placed a medical station in the back, presumably to heal travelers who's medics couldn't. philip had furnished it well here, there were couches and beds and tv's. things i barely had in the future, money was no longer a medium of exchange. we traded our services then, in my case it was hacking and in others it was medical needs or historical recallings. it was how we got everything we needed. but here it was different. things cost money, something i had little knowledge about.../p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="26a6b648ab2a6e83110193af99b98abe"philip lead me towards the couches, motioning for me to sit wherever and than asked, "are you hungry at all?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a810e005274291a8436eb1b74553dd6d"the couch was by far the comfiest thing i'd ever sat in, so much better than my bare bones couch back in the future. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ae1246b38cd36d8d208562f89dca846f""kinda, what do you have?" i answered him, finally recognizing my needs. i guess i was hungry, i was also incredibly tired too./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="4885a2ed08efb6abd859ddc2531d021a""i got some chips?" his voice sounded more like he was questioning himself as he searched through the cabinets. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7b5663e2f4b586300c798dbc0318035d""that's fine. hey, after i eat do you care if i lay down for a little?" i asked him as he came back with a small bag of chips. they were something i had never heard of before. doritos? i opened the package and looked at the chips. they looked funny but hey i was hungry. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="fc03859dc6b863df575a5e21aba37616""no that's fine. you can take my room", he pointed to an offset room i hadn't noticed before, "it'll be quieter in there."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="27a3d76b6faa09db42a541ea9eb33b34"i nodded and started to eat the chips. they were an unusual flavor, in the future all our food had tasted the same. just gray and the occasional washed out greens on a plate. they claimed it was good for us still full of nutrition, despite the lack of flavor. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="610b3e12f018fd6b60a6dcfb4f29c759"with my mouth somewhat full, " thank you." i gave him a closed mouth smile, though i'm sure i looked fucking ridiculous. he smiled back, telling me it wasn't a problem really. he got up from the other couch and started on something on his computer. i paid no mind really, figuring he probably wanted to be alone for the time being. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8b44b5d0d30f6b072ffa08eb66e13cdc"when i finished my chips, not going to lie i had scarfed them down like they were my last meal, i made my way towards his room. the room was offset from the rest of the garage, a large window on the side allowed one to look into or out of the room. philip had managed to put curtains up, which i drew leaving a little gap open. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="41209d1199cb5fa206829d6b06e7ddec"i took my shoes off, setting them aside by the wall and climbed into his bed as quickly as i could. i didn't realize how tired my host body truly was until now. his bed was comfier than mine ever had been. everything in the 21st was better than the future would ever be ( for now ). i climbed under the sheets, practically wrapping myself under the covers. i felt bad, the bed was made before i had ruined it but i was too tired to care. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e702677993725bc9e4c883b3ee1b0a1c"his pillows and blankets smelt like him, like a woodsy smell. it was soothing, i liked it more than i thought i originally had. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c2cc5374157f91b595cb3f0a1c012f01"within minutes of laying down i slept. back in the future i never dreamed. my sleep was always filled with nothing and it always seemed like it had been over in minutes. here though, i actually dreamed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="b1fa9705dc6b40a0561bcafb0a0c8960"within my dream i was in ops sitting on the couch. i was next to philip who was smiling and laughing as if there was a joke told. i could feel a smile on myself as i looked at him. he was dressed in his usual all black attire, though it looked like pajamas. i was in something similar to him, sweat pants and a shirt i assumed had been his. i could only look at him, seeing the light that had shone in his eyes. he looked so happy here, in reality he never had that light. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f09ec7e90adf59841a90dbd71aa4cdc0"his eyes always reflected sadness or nothingness. it was tough to be a historian, i knew that. he knew everyone's death, all of ours. he knew how we died and when everyone else did. i couldn't begin to imagine how much that truly weighted on him. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="838e0cf5be2ec45850e69deb8857ec05"but here he was at peace, it was like the weight was finally lifted off him. i wish that this was reality, that he seemed this content in the real world. breaking away from my thoughts, i sat up. still in my dream i asked philip, "you want to watch a movie or something?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="8f0f7924d064081b2a13241dd7a9e74f"he replied with a yes and i leaned on his shoulder while he flickered through different channels. i smiled once again, wishing that this was reality. i would be lying to myself if i said i wasn't already attracted to him. he was undeniably attractive, to me, and his personality was one few may want. to me, he was perfect.../p  
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p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="96534f646b117cb79438755a4998eb5d"'"philip?" i called out for him, which had gotten his attention. he fully turned to me, he was sweating and shakey. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a08dfbde467dd81887f27d75a9fa3f21""whats going on? should i call marcy?" i woke myself up, darting myself over to him. i looked him over, trying to figure out his problem./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="6a78987936bea086c03ea19b1b670ab3""drugs. i can't find my fucking drugs!" he motioned over the mess, his voice reflective of the distress he showed. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="36642e4e90be79da0303804d8cff8769""i'll help you, go" i pointed at the couch in hopes he'd follow my order. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e48e6e6b05dcddd270ef9c3f2804a204"i didn't want to com marcy just yet, maybe i could help him through this? i searched around th mess with him, he didn't follow my order. his movements were fast and unstable, while mine were careful and steady. we dug through desk draws and shelves, we even checked the dresser. philip started going through one of the bags marcy left, till he found what he wanted. /p  
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p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="2675df4b9e2523d846c7e79086113bdd""philip.." i tried to talk to him but he pushed past to towards the bathroom. i followed closely behind him, pushing my way into the bathroom with him. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0cb93e6048dfed357b829f6762259f3b""get out." he hissed at me with clenched teeth. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="ab9b6e9c31a2c1ebd6dc3d991889bb87""no. if you're going to do it, do it in front of me." i stood my ground, finding a spot on the ground to sit in front of him. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="a9b6ea907fd53f6087e3da78d1960057""no." he shook his head no, opening the door expecting me to leave. /p  
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p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c9d15d34d96557a8e1f99ef03515bcf3""fine. you want to see it so bad?" he seemed like a different person, it was like he had done a 180. he reached towards a box embedded in the wall and grabbed a lighter and spoon. he put some powder on the spoon and heated it. he remained focused on it, ignoring my presence entirely. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="c0df0482ae5835927292900b6027bec3"i didn't speak, even as he put the needle to his vein and injected himself. i didn't know what to say, i couldn't stop him, he would do whatever he wanted regardless. he sat on the toilet, putting the needle aside and leaning against the wall. he was in a state of complete euphoria, it was clear by his movements. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="7a31c750016570b74a688e25676b0fc9""let's get you to the couch.." i was quite when i talked, standing up and gently grabbing his hand. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="1fcd3f3eb634326ebfdbe3d74aee3862""i'm fine celeste." his voice was mellowed out, his eyes half opened. he tried to push me off but i wouldn't budge. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0efcead54df6b9a36738fc795e2bc548""please, for my own piece of mind." i started to plead him till he gave in. with a struggle due to his haze, he finally got up. i kept my hold on him and gently led him to the couch. glancing at the clock, it was around 4 meaning the team would be here within a few hours. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="f62cf7563809dc4b11112213504c6033"i sat next to him, just watching not talking at all. he was leaning towards me, depending on the couch for some sort of support. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="0921c83f3a3f56748d0c63bea73a779c""lay down, i'll be here." i spoke to him gently, scooting over to allow him more room to lay down. he nodded, adjusting himself so that he laid as comfortably as he could. his head rested on my leg, and he closed his eyes. i took in his features as he started to sleep. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="502f785a0bab0c1d389491320018ed4d"his hair was a mix of random curls and a wavy pattern, the color of sand. his expression reminded me of the peacefulness he had shown while in my dream. i started to play with his hair, running my fingers through it, getting the kinks and tangles out as gently as i could. i could stare at him all day if it were possible, there were no flaws to be found. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="739abf43c0086bc57a1cd4698a639e0c"after a few minutes i decided to let him sleep on his own, i had my own work to do. i gently held his head up while i got up, which was more difficult than i had imagined. he remained asleep throughout it though, which was good for both him and i. i laid his head on a pillow i had found on the love seat, making sure it was comfortable enough for him... /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="69eb08e30e92cb3715112c0aa7ff10c6"i immediately went to the computer, clicking and typing till i came up on the traveler network. from there on i typed away, confirming my arrival to the 21st successful to the director. after i had done that, i begun to mindlessly search the internet. seeing the current world problems, as well as what was happening locally like events and such. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e1909caad6547b05d97901c14a0cc83e"i continued at this till i heard a knock on the garage, looking at one of the monitiors i saw it was trevor. i walked to the door quickly and opened it for him. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="30a65ecefa24da3e9fead53cafd20d35""philips asleep, be quiet." i told him as i led him into the garage. in his hands he held a bag of fast food and what i assumed to be his textbook for homework./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="e79635aa8cadab7b42d84efcba8cfc9d""well i brought food, and i gotta do homework. gary wasn't making it ea- what happened here?" he had stopped mid sentence to survey the mess philip had left behind. i had honestly forgotten about the mess, too busy focused on philip that i didn't start to clean. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="90f170b8c21a821b0c47a2a7b528171b""philip had an episode..." i spoke softly, motioning over towards where philip was asleep. trevor looked at him, his eyes softening as if he understood. he nodded and begun to clean. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d8e28f8f733051ff4518175b46163fcd"we started to fold clothes and grab files, barely talking to each other. we handed each other whatever we cleaned up and put them back in their proper place. it took us about an hour to clean the mess but when we were done we were beat. trevor returned to his spot at the computer and i collapsed into the love seat. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #222222;" data-p-id="d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e" /p 


	3. Chapter 3

when i woke up, the mess i had created due to my withdrawl rage was now cleaned up. i looked up sleepily and saw celeste and trevor making small talk. i got up, stretching and letting out a yawn. their attention had turned towards me, looking at me with careful, watchful eyes.

"you're finally up sleeping beauty." trevor remarked, earning a chuckle from both celeste and i.

"you guys cleaned it up?" i scanned the room, seeing the mess i had created was now gone and everything was put away neatly.

"yeah." this time celeste spoke, looking over at the spot i had once left a disaster.

"thank you..." i replied, walking over to her and trevor.

"food?" trevor asked, handing me a bag which had a burger and a handful of fries. i was grateful for that, i hadn't really taken my hunger into account even when i fed celeste earlier. i ate the food quickly, trying my hardest to savor it. none of us knew how long we'd be in the 21st for, we could live our host's lives out or we could be ended early. it all depended on the directors decision...

"boss man is coming in a few. he got a messenger at work today." trevor spoke aloud. neither of us replied though, both just acknowledging the fact.

i turned of the television, it was background noise for us. the news woman from when i had watched it before came on, her voice was steady as she reported on todays weather.

_"today we'll experience a high of 65 and the low is 46. you should see this cold front come in within the next few days. the temperatures will be expected to drop towards the mid and high 50's, even low 60's during the week. there will be rain showers later tonight and possibly into the next morning. scattered showers throughout the week will be popping up as well, though at the most it will be light. so grab your umbrellas guys!" _she recited whatever they had put on the screen beside the camera.

i already knew it all, the weather patterns and the temperatures for the day. being a historian had it's perks in a way, i never had to watch the news like this because i already knew. this time i didn't recite her words, i simply listened. trevor was scrolling on some web page on the computer and celeste listened to the news.

i was bored of it already, there was never anything new going on. i turned towards poppy, seeing as though i really hadn't spent any time with since celeste had come. i walked over to her tank and lifted the lid. i scooped her up, careful to grab her shell as gently as i could. by now she was used to being held, she no longer tucked away in her shell, she just accepted it.

"hey girl." i spoke to her softly, brushing her shell with my fingers.

she never replied nor did anything, she just looked up at me. maybe that was why i liked her, because she would let me vent without having an opinion. she always was here, it wasn't like she couldn't leave. but i found most times when i needed a friend she was always there.

"you want some lettuce?" i walked over to the fridge, carefully holding poppy in one hand and grabbing the head of lettuce in the other. i set her down on the table, she didn't move or even try she just laid there looking around. i ripped off a few pieces of lettuce and set them in front of her. she moved slowly over towards it, when she had gone there she ate it quickly.

"what's her name?" celeste spoke up as i watched poppy.

"poppy." i replied, petting her while she ate. the door to the garage opened quickly, causing our attention to be drawn there. grant walked in, dressed in his usual fbi suit attire, holding large bags of fast food.

"marcy would have a heart attack if she saw the amount of fast food we've been eating." trevor piped up, hopping up to grab the bags from grant. grant handed it to him, then took his jacket off. the same white shirt he always wore was underneath. he threw the jacket on the back of the chair trevor was sitting on before.

"it's a good thing she isn't." he joked back to trevor as he watched him dig into the bags.

"you alright philip?" he asked me, looking over at me while i stood back and watched everyone.

"yeah." i replied to him, walking towards him to get to poppy's cage. i placed her gently inside, giving her one last little pat and putting the top on. i grabbed two cups of fries and two burgers, setting them on the table. i placed one of each in front of celeste and grabbed mine.

"thank you." she took the food gratefully.

"yeah, hope you're not getting tired of burgers and fries yet." i smiled at her, walking towards my room with my food. i put them both on the bed, and slipped into the bathroom. i could feel the addiction wake as if it were a living thing. anytime i was near my cabinet, i almost felt drawn towards it. i locked the door, knowing i had to do my thing quickly before any suspicion rose.

grabbing the spoon, lighter, the heroin and a clean needle from the bin i started the process i knew all too familiar. once i had liquidated the heroin, i put it into the needle. it was a little more than marcy told me to do, but i would be fine. it wasn't like i had never gone above her recommended amount, it would last longer. i could go a couple of hours between doses, but i knew that one day it wouldn't be that easy.

i tied the band i always kept around my wrist on my upper arm. i felt for a vein, finding a decent one in the corner of my elbow. i carefully pierced myself, pushing down the plunger on the syringe. it was within a few seconds that i felt the rush that i had loved so much. it was like i was in heaven. i felt so much calmer, i felt happier, like i was simply on the clouds. i untied the band and retied it loosely on my wrist. i packed my stuff away into cabinet, throwing away the needle in the small sharps container marcy bought me.

walking out the bathroom, my vision was kind of off but i could still see somewhat clearly. i walked slowly towards my bedroom, hearing that they were talking to me but i didn't register any of it. as soon as i reached my bed, i collapsed on it. i had been careful to not mash my food in the process. i reached over to grab a fry, eating one after another.

grant had called out for philip, though he had never seemed to register it. he shook his head, suspecting it was the high that he was feeling that caused it. from where he stood, he could see halfway into the room. philip laid on his bed mindlessly eating his food, staring at the ceiling.

"he's not in a decent condition for us to talk with." grant told celeste and trevor, who had been in their own little conversation while the other two did whatever they pleased.

"the messenger at work today assigned us our mission." grant took on his usual boss voice, one that could only be describe as a mix of confidences and tough.

"well what is is?" trevor replied, his interest rising by the seconds.

"we have to go pick someone up.. her name is alice madden."

okay now i have nothing to write bc i got major writers block. i'll go back and revise this later, i have hella jet lag. lmk what i can do better when i rewrite this or for future chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

while grant had announced our new mission, i couldn't help but let my mind wander. i looked over towards philip's room, seeing him splayed out across the bed dead asleep. when grant said he wasn't in a good condition, i could only assume that he had been too high to function. sleep was the best option for him to get off whatever insane high he had been on. i felt bad for him truly, everything he did was surrounded around his addiction. whether he'd be able to be productive that day or sleep the day away depended on how much he wanted. it seemed lately that he was taking more, when he truly should have been doing less.

"celeste? did you hear me?" maclaren's voice brought me back to reality, where i pushed my worried thoughts of philip aside and focused on the mission we were going to do.

"yeah, alice madden right? whats her deal?" i replied back to him quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed where i was staring at before.

"well her deal is something we need philip for. i exhausted the data base but there was nothing on there, both her parents and her's records are clean. she's also only 15 by the way, which means she won't be too much trouble." grant ran through whatever he knew about alice, including where she lived and with who. the messenger that had been sent to him only told him that they needed to get her.

without philip, the three of us were stuck trying to figure out why she was so important. grant came up with a possible abuse situation and trevor thought that she was a dangerous person like aleksander. but, i couldn't think of any reason why she needed out. maybe she just was unhappy, and that affected her importance in the future?

the mission was set to start as soon as carly and marcy became available as well as soon as philip woke up. our team of six would be going to fairfield, virginia, which was about a two day drive. it was a lot easier for us to cross through state lines with our weapons hidden in the cars than hassle with TSA and security. we would have to find a cover for our protocol fives.

in grants case it was with his wife, with trevor his parents, carly had her son and marcy had david to deal with. for philip and i, we had nobody but ourselves to cover. we had no family we talked to, nor friends that cared about us enough to talk to. well, philip did have poppy and it was clear she meant a lot to him.

one day maybe i would have a friend of sort or even someone to call my family. i knew that my opportunity would come one day, the chance to feel the way everyone else had grown to feel about their other.

"we'll leave tomorrow, it gives us all time to figure out how to cover the week we'll be gone. i gotta run, i'll see you guys at noon." grant spoke quickly as he looked down at his phone, which was vibrating loudly. trevor nodded, bidding me a goodbye and followed right behind grant.

trevor was going to tell his parents he had some sort of college opportunity, marcy would tell david she was going on a trip for the hospital, grant would tell everyone he needed a vacation alone, and carly and jeff would be coming with the baby. since jeff was a traveler now, i guess he had gotten permission to accompany us.

the only person we had yet to tell was philip, he was still asleep by the time i was ready to lay down. i had spent the rest of the time since grant and trevor left cleaning and doing random tasks. i fed poppy, made sandwiches out of whatever was in the fridge, and packed my bag out of old clothes marcy left. when i was ready to sleep, i slipped into philips room and grabbed a shirt.

i didn't want to sleep in marcy's clothes, they were too nice for me to wear asleep. and philips clothes were just a lot more comfy than anything else i owned. i threw a pillow from the love seat onto the couch as well as the blanket crumpled at the end of it. when i had everything in order for me to finally sleep, it took about five minutes before i fell into a deep sleep.

when i woke up in my dream, i was laying in philips bed. he wasn't beside me, he had to be at his computer, as i heard the keys being pressed quickly. i was confused as i untangled myself from his sheets, almost not wanting to leave them. when i got up, i noticed that his room was incredibly neat. it was unusual, seeing how the state was always like a hurricane passed through it and nobody was around too fix it. i walked out, seeing him sitting at this computer like i had thought he had been.

he looked up at me and smiled, "morning love."

"hey..." i was confused, but i quickly remembered that we were in my dream.

"are you hungry? i got some egg muffins for breakfast", he held up a bag which i assumed they were in, " i got a couple, i wasn't sure how much you'd eat."

i smiled in appreciation, walking over towards him from the doorway of his room, and giving him a hug. i took in that woodsy scent i begun to love so much. i closed my eyes, resting my head on his shoulder and staying there for a few moments.

he handed me the bag, which i bid him a thank you, and quickly grabbed the muffins from the bag. i held the two, handing one carefully to him while trying to not drop mine at the same time. i pulled a chair up beside him, opening up the sandwich and throwing away the wrapper. philip mirrored this, and we both ate in a comfortable silence. when we were done, we moved to the couch.

philip laid down first, opening his arms up for me to lay back on him. when i did, he wrapped his arms around me tightly, as if he was afraid to let me go...

"phil i-." the dream had ended quickly, i was awoken by a consistent banging on the door of the garage. i got up immediately, picking the closest object up and moving to the door. the object i held in my hand was a book, which i guess would come in handy if whoever decided to attack me was weak.

i peered through the little peep hole, seeing a young kid banging a basket ball against the door. it was unusual for a messenger to be sent at this time of day, mind you a young kid at 3-4 in the morning seemed a little suspicious. i opened the door, awaiting the message that he would be saying.

"traveler 4099, remember protocols. failure to comply with protocols will result in elimination of traveler program." the kids repeated the message he was tasked with sending, which left me in a major state of confusion. the kid broke his trance, looking once at me and than his surroundings, before dashing away. i quietly closed the door, peering into philips room before i laid back down.

he had gotten up sometime during the night, i could tell by the new way he was posistioned as well as the fact he was just in sweatpants now. his legs had been tangled within the sheets, but his entire backside had been exposed. from the little light i had, i could see the outlines of tattoos covering his back in some sort of shape. i smiled at him, before turning back towards the couch. i laid down, wrapping myself up in the blanket, letting my mind wonder.

i couldn't help but wonder what the hell the director meant by maintaining my protocols. did he mean the philip and i couldn't have a relationship? was it possible for him to see my dreams, read my thoughts and see my actions? i left reality with these thoughts running over and over in my head.


End file.
